Iana’s throat moved up and down as she swallowed hard.
Compared to that Bone Dragon, her figure was like a firefly beside the bright moon—completely incomparable.
According to Veronica’s plan, she was to draw the Dragon’s attention, allowing Ishiya and Beiqi to physically restrain the Bone Dragon, after which Veronica would deliver the killing blow.
Iana understood Veronica’s meaning, but was this plan really feasible?
Could Ishiya and Beiqi actually hold the Bone Dragon in place?
To Iana, this was nothing but fantasy.
She really wanted to tell Veronica that now wasn’t the time for daydreams.
But the words stuck in her throat because she hadn’t thought of a better way to deal with the Bone Dragon.
Besides, Veronica had assigned her a relatively simple role that didn’t require physical contact with the Dragon.
Ishiya and Beiqi, upon hearing Veronica’s plan, seemed petrified, frozen in place as they pondered its feasibility.
But the Bone Dragon wasn’t going to give them enough time to think.
Its massive bony tail swept across like a missile.
Everyone leapt back to dodge the attack.
“There’s no time to think. Just follow my plan. Once we kill this Bone Dragon, I’ll split the points equally among everyone,” Veronica said, half-kneeling with one hand on her sword.
Her once pristine white clothes were now covered in dust, as if she had just rolled on the ground, looking utterly disheveled.
Ishiya clenched her teeth tightly, grinding them so hard they produced a grating noise.
Her eyes fixed unwaveringly on the Bone Dragon—as if her gaze alone could kill it, the Dragon would have been slain hundreds of times over by now.
“Let’s do it!”
Beiqi, standing beside her, wore a look as if she was watching fools.
She couldn’t understand how Ishiya could agree to such a clearly disadvantageous plan so quickly.
Beiqi even started thinking that after this Holy Trial, she should take Ishiya to the hospital.
“Beiqi, what do you say? You’re not chicken, are you? If you are, I’ll go alone.”
Beiqi rubbed her head helplessly.
“What else can I do? Am I really going to let you go alone?”
As the only sane one in the group, Beiqi carried the responsibility of taking care of the four troublesome girls.
She certainly couldn’t back out now.
After speaking, she shot a resentful glance at Veronica, silently expressing her dissatisfaction with the plan.
Everyone fell silent, seemingly accepting Veronica’s strategy.
“Iana, you go lure it out.”
“Ishiya and Beiqi, when the time’s right, grab its legs and hold it down,” Veronica gave the final orders as she wiped her longsword.
Following the instructions, Iana picked up a stone from the ground and threw it hard at the Bone Dragon’s head.
“Big dumb Dragon, come hit me.”
That Bone Dragon had never heard such an insulting challenge, especially from the kid who just threw a stone at it—it was utterly intolerable.
The Bone Dragon roared into the sky, a deafening sound that nearly shattered Iana’s eardrums.
Then, like a bull seeing a red cloth, it charged toward Iana.
“So fast!”
Iana hadn’t expected the seemingly clumsy Dragon to be so quick.
In a flash, it was nearly upon her face.
Her small feet spun wildly, like car tires that never stopped, sprinting relentlessly in the opposite direction of the Dragon.
“Move quickly, I’m almost out of strength!” Iana had already run hundreds of meters away, but dared not stop.
Gasping for breath, she shouted to Ishiya and Beiqi.
“You’re running too fast. We can’t catch up.”
Iana was dumbfounded.
After a brief moment of thought, she made a rebellious decision—she would run toward the Bone Dragon.
Perhaps with one slide tackle, she could slip behind it and meet up with Ishiya.
Then together they could restrain the Dragon’s movements.
Though risky, now was not the time to hesitate.
Iana stopped, timing it perfectly, and at the moment the Bone Dragon closed in, she ducked low and slid beneath it.
The Bone Dragon, obviously unprepared for this, froze in place.
When it reacted and tried to chase Iana, it found itself unable to move freely.
Ishiya and Beiqi had already grabbed its legs, leaving it trapped.
“Come on, Veronica, I’m about to give out,” Beiqi’s face flushed red, as if she were an ordinary person holding a heavy barbell, her chest tight.
“We can’t hold it much longer,” Ishiya gritted her teeth, her arms going numb.
“I’ll help you.” Iana joined Ishiya in hugging one of the Dragon’s massive legs.
In the brief moment they managed to stabilize the Bone Dragon, Veronica pushed off with her legs, swinging her longsword.
Her movements were extraordinary; bathed in moonlight, she looked like the Moon Goddess descended to earth—stunningly beautiful.
With a wrist flip, she thrust the sword hard into the hollow sockets of the Bone Dragon’s eyes.
“Roar!”
The Dragon seemed seriously wounded.
Like a game BOSS entering phase two, it kicked Iana and the others away like a ball.
A terrifying heatwave radiated from it, setting the surrounding trees ablaze.
A fireball capable of wiping out several hundred meters coalesced around its body.
Iana was flung like a cannonball, crashing through several trees before collapsing on the ground.
“It hurts.”
The pain was intense, as if she had been shredded in a grinder.
Iana felt her soul was being torn apart.
She couldn’t even move her fingers.
“Cough.”
Her lungs burned.
She coughed uncontrollably, spitting out bright red blood.
“Is this… my blood?” Her vision blurred as consciousness began to fade.
She felt like she was dying.
“Is Lillian doing okay now? Is she still waiting for me there?”
“But this time, I’m afraid I’ll break my promise.”
What weighed most heavily on Iana’s mind was Lillian’s safety.
No one knew if the Bone Dragon, after finishing with them, would go on to cause trouble for others.
Lillian was injured and couldn’t walk far, so Iana was genuinely worried about her being found by the Bone Dragon.
Just as Iana was about to close her eyes, she suddenly saw Lillian’s figure in her field of vision.
She thought it must be a hallucination—how could she see Lillian here?
“When I get out of this, I definitely have to lie in bed and rest for a few days. I’m just too exhausted.”